<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>how will he know that you love him? by BestDeadFriendsForever</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22623256">how will he know that you love him?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BestDeadFriendsForever/pseuds/BestDeadFriendsForever'>BestDeadFriendsForever</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Episode: s02e18 This Life We Choose, Firefam for the win, Fluff, Jealous Eddie Diaz, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Spoilers for Episode: s02e18 This Life We Choose, These boys need to finally just realize they love each other, tagged for violence due to mentions of Buck's accident</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:42:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,311</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22623256</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BestDeadFriendsForever/pseuds/BestDeadFriendsForever</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hen cut a glanced over at Eddie where he was sitting, blank-faced, in the waiting room chair. He hadn’t moved an inch since they’d brought Buck into the ER. He hardly looked like he was breathing. Hen gave Karen’s hand a squeeze before she stood and made her way over to where Eddie had semi-isolated himself, as much as he could with how crowded the waiting room was with other members of the 118 and their families, Maddie, Carla, and the other people who were waiting to hear about other injured or sick loved ones, with his eyes fixed firmly in the middle distance.<br/>“Hey,” Hen said and sat down in the vacant chair next to him. “How you holdin’ up?” Hen asked and put a consoling hand on Eddie’s back.<br/>“I’m fine. I’m not the one who got blown up and crushed by a truck,” Eddie bit out with more venom than Hen had ever heard from the easy-tempered man.</p><p>aka the one where everyone realizes how in love Eddie is with Buck after Buck's accident</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>(mention of past) Eddie Diaz/Shannon Diaz, Eddie Diaz &amp; Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Evan "Buck" Buckley &amp; Christopher Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley &amp; Maddie Buckley, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Ali Martin, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>552</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>how will he know that you love him?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Hen cut a glanced over at Eddie where he was sitting, blank-faced, in the waiting room chair. He hadn’t moved an inch since they’d brought Buck into the ER. He hardly looked like he was breathing. Hen gave Karen’s hand a squeeze before she stood and made her way over to where Eddie had semi-isolated himself, as much as he could with how crowded the waiting room was with other members of the 118 and their families, Maddie, Carla, and the other people who were waiting to hear about other injured or sick loved ones, with his eyes fixed firmly in the middle distance.</p><p>            “Hey,” Hen said and sat down in the vacant chair next to him. “How you holdin’ up?” Hen asked and put a consoling hand on Eddie’s back.</p><p>            “I’m fine. I’m not the one who got blown up and crushed by a truck,” Eddie bit out with more venom than Hen had ever heard from the easy-tempered man.</p><p>            <em>Eddie’s eyes were fixed on Buck- all of their eyes were- but when the kid, Freddie, had called Buck collateral damage, Eddie’s eyes had flashed with something dangerous and he’d taken a stilted step forward. If Hen didn’t know Eddie, she’d have thought that Eddie was going to commit a murder.</em></p><p>            “That doesn’t mean that you’re alright,” Hen said quietly. Eddie shrugged off her touch and hunched in on himself. “He’s gonna be okay, Eddie. Buck’s a fighter. Always has been and always will be.”</p><p>            “And what if he isn’t?” Eddie asked, not meeting Hen’s eyes. “What if Buck never walks again because we couldn’t get to him soon enough? What if he-” Eddie bit down on his lip hard enough that it made Hen wince.</p><p>            “He won’t,” Hen said firmly. If they were going to lose Buck, or if Buck was going to lose his leg, she’d feel it in her gut. But she didn’t. She knew that Buck was going to come out of this okay. Eddie just nodded but Hen could tell that he was just trying to get her to leave him alone. Hen sighed heavily before standing. “You want a cup of coffee? It’s gonna be a long wait no matter what.”</p><p>            Eddie’s shoulders seemed to relax just a little. “I’m okay, Hen. Thanks.”</p><p>            Chim raises an eyebrow at her when she goes back to sit with Karen, but Hen just shakes her head helplessly. Chim’s face is grim as he slips his hand into Maddie’s from where she sits, chewing at her thumbnail.</p><p>…..</p><p>            Maddie nearly collapses from relief when the doctor comes out and tells her the surgery went well. Chim’s arms around her are the only thing keeping her upright she’s sure. She shakily wipes her tears from her face and asks the doctor a few questions- glad of her training as a nurse so she knows exactly the right things to ask- before shaking his hand and leaning back into Chim.</p><p>            She wipes her tears on her sleeve and takes a shaky breath before addressing her brother’s friends. “You should all go home and get some sleep. Buck’s surgery went well and now he just needs to rest and let his body catch up with him.” Hen comes up and hugs her tightly, telling her that if she needs anything to call and she and Karen will come running. Maddie thanks her and then Bobby and Athena- who make the same offer- and others from the 118 as they too make their way out. Chim lingers but Maddie assures him that she’s going to be okay.</p><p>            “And I’m going to stay with her,” Carla says as she wraps a motherly arm around Maddie’s shoulders. They’d only spoken a few times, but Maddie knows how much Buck respects and loves Carla and vice-versa. She feels safe knowing the other woman is going to be there with her. Chim gives her a tender kiss on the cheek before making his way out, his hand clapping down onto Eddie’s shoulder.</p><p>            Eddie doesn’t move from his spot.</p><p>            Maddie can see tears rolling down his cheeks but once he realizes that she’s looking at him, he brushes them away and turns his face so that she can’t see him. Maddie gives him a second before she moves to sit beside him. They’re both silent for a while before Maddie turns to give him a small smile. “You should go home too. I know you’ve got your son to think about.”</p><p>            Eddie shook his head. “He’s with my aunt and my abuela. And Christopher will understand why I’m here,” Eddie’s voice cracks but he quickly evens it out again, “instead of at home.”</p><p>            Maddie watched him for a while before patting his hand. “Okay. Well, I’m going to get us some coffee.” Eddie gives her a weak smile and a soft thank you before she stands. She and Carla grab three coffees and ask about visiting hours for the recovery ward.</p><p>            Maddie frowns at how Eddie is when she steps into the waiting room, but then she notices Ali- Buck’s girlfriend that Maddie had only ever really met once- sitting in the chair next to him and obviously speaking to him quietly. When she spots Maddie, she shoots Eddie one last look before she’s up and striding over.</p><p>            “Is he going to be okay?” Ali demanded and she held her whole body rigid as if she were bracing for impact.</p><p>            Maddie handed Eddie’s coffee to Carla, who made a beeline to the man who was clenching his jaw hard enough that Maddie was afraid he’d chip a tooth, before diverting Ali towards another corner of the waiting room. “He’s out of surgery and the surgery went fairly well. They’ve put a rod and some screws into his leg to fix the bone damage,” Maddie said and she forced herself to compartmentalize like when she was a nurse- she couldn’t think about this being her baby brother, Buck just had to be another patient whose case she was dealing with one step at a time. “He’s still asleep and for a while they’ll keep him in the hospital and on pain medication, so we won’t know too much about potential nerve damage until he’s healed a little more. But it’s likely that there will be areas that will be affected. He’ll be in a cast for a while.” Maddie felt a tear slip down her cheek and she brushed it away quickly. “And even when it comes off he’ll still have to relearn how to walk on his leg.”</p><p>            “You really don’t sugarcoat, do you?” Ali wiped the tears off her face and Maddie swallowed thickly.</p><p>            “I was a nurse. It comes with the territory,” Maddie said and rubbed at her face tiredly.</p><p>            “Will we be able to see him soon?” Ali asked, her voice a little watery but she was obviously trying to pull herself together.</p><p>            “Maybe. It depends on whether he wakes up soon or if he stays out of it for a bit.” Ali nodded and Maddie took a sip of her coffee. She looked over at Eddie where he was nodding at whatever Carla was saying to him, Carla rubbing his back gently as he stared resolutely down into his coffee cup.</p><p>…..</p><p>            Eddie knows that Maddie had a point. And Carla had made the same one. He had a son that he should be thinking about. Christopher was going to worry when he woke up and Eddie wasn’t home like he should be. He hadn’t even thought about texting Josephine and his abuela. He was too scared and then all he could think about was that the doctors said Buck was going to be okay, but they hadn’t seen Buck crushed underneath that truck. Eddie had the strangest feeling lodged under his ribs- he needed to see Buck with his own eyes and check him over himself before he could believe that he was alright.</p><p>            <em>There was so much blood and the red light from the truck wasn’t helping any as Eddie held onto Buck’s hand and prayed for a miracle. That the city would be quick and they’d have another truck to help move this one, that they would have the man-power to move the truck on their own, that something-anything would happen to keep Buck from dying right in front of him. He was trying to stay calm, but even Hen’s hands were shaking as they tried to get Buck free.</em></p><p>
  <em>            The screaming was what finally broke Eddie. He felt a tear streak down his face at how much pain Buck was in and how there was nothing Eddie could do to make it stop. He wanted to wring that little bastard’s neck for doing this to Buck. He heard himself babbling platitudes to Buck but he knew that they didn’t mean anything. They were empty promises.</em>
</p><p>            “Hey.” Eddie snapped out of his memories violently as Carla placed a hand on his back, concern etched into her features. “You still with us?”</p><p>            “Yeah,” Eddie said and his voice was rough. He hated how thick his voice sounded as he once again had to wipe tears away from his face. “Any word on how Buck is doing?”</p><p>            “There’s been no change so I’m taking it as a win,” Carla said and her smile should have been reassuring- in any other situation it probably would have been- but Eddie just watched her blankly.</p><p>            “She’s sure something, huh?” Carla asked and looked over to where Ali was talking quietly into her phone outside of the waiting room. Eddie felt something ugly curl up inside his gut and he feigned taking a sip out of his coffee cup despite it being empty already. It’d been nice to keep a hold of it so that he could have something to have in his hands. “Oh I know that look. That’s a very jealous look.”</p><p>            “I’m not jealous. I don’t even know her,” Eddie said coolly and refused to even glance in her direction.</p><p>            “No but you know Buck.”</p><p>            Eddie stiffened up and set his cut aside with a little more force than was strictly necessary. “She makes Buck happy.”</p><p>            “So do you,” Carla said casually and Eddie felt a spike of something akin to fear go through him. “So do a lot of other people too. Doesn’t mean that you think they’re right for each other.”</p><p>            “It’s none of my business,” Eddie said tensely, tucking his hands between his knees. He didn’t look too closely at his clothes. They still had Buck’s blood on them from the ambulance ride.</p><p>            “And yet here we are,” Carla said gently and Eddie looked over at her, not sure what to say or what to do. He wasn’t sure what Carla was trying to get him to admit- to her or just to himself.</p><p>            “Yeah,” Eddie said, his voice breaking as he blinked away tears and gestured weakly to the waiting room. “Here we are.” Carla caught one of his restless hands and just holds it for a long time.</p><p>            “Evan Buckley?” Maddie and Carla both get up and walk over to the nurse. Eddie feels glued to his chair. He feels like if he stood, he’d just collapse again, and besides he didn’t have any claim over Buck and didn’t want to intrude on the people that did.</p><p>            Maddie went over to Ali and then she was hanging up her phone and following Maddie back to where the nurse was still talking with Carla. Maddie and Ali followed the nurse and Carla walked over to him. “They’re going to let us in to see Buck. No more than three at a time-” Eddie felt a sharp pain rip through his chest, “but just sit tight and you’ll be able to see him in a few minutes.” Carla pressed a hand to his cheek before rushing to catch up with Maddie, Ali, and Buck’s nurse.</p><p>            Eddie lets out a shuddering breath and tips his head back as tears leave behind hot trails as they streak down his cheeks. His head thudded dully as he let his eyes slip shut to try and compose himself. He gets up to throw away his coffee cup, his legs unsteady beneath him as he also grabs a few tissues to wipe the tearstains off his face and to blow his nose.</p><p>            It feels like an eternity as he sits back down and just waits. There’s no clock and Eddie had forgotten his watch that morning in his rush to get Christopher’s lunch packed and to get his son out the door to get to school. His phone had died hours ago.</p><p>            Ali walks out purposefully and Eddie wants to grab her arm and ask what’s going on, but he doesn’t. He just sits and waits. He crosses his arms over his chest and his eyes feel heavy and sore. He’s so exhausted. He can’t hold back a yawn and he feels his eyes slipping shut despite trying to best to keep them open.</p><p>…..</p><p>            Maddie’s walking Carla out and she feels so relieved. Buck had been awake for a bit and he’d talked with Ali- who had come back briefly with coffee for them before she had to dart out again to go to work- and then with Carla and Maddie. He’d been exhausted and a little unfocused because of his pain medicine, and she’d urged him to get some rest while she walked Carla out.</p><p>            Maddie blinked to see Eddie in the same chair he’d been in, but he was fast asleep. She stepped away from Carla’s side and crouched in front of him, putting a gentle hand on his knee. Eddie jerks away and winced a little, no doubt from a crick in his neck, and when he sees Maddie he looks panicked. “Is Buck alright?”</p><p>            Maddie nodded and smiled at him. “Yeah, he’s resting now. Well, as much as Buck ever rests.” She cracked a small smile that Eddie looked too nervous to return. “I was just making sure <em>you</em> were. Have you been here all night?”</p><p>            Eddie squinted at the windows, sighed heavily, and scratched at the corner of his eye with his thumb. “Couldn’t leave until I made sure he was okay,” Eddie mumbled and scrubbed a hand over his face.</p><p>            Maddie patted his knee and stood. “I was just walking Carla out, so you’re more than welcome to go in and see him.”</p><p>            “You sure?” Eddie asked and he was suddenly very awake.</p><p>            “Of course, Eddie. Buck’s your best friend.” Maddie had hardly finished the sentence before Eddie had levered himself out of his chair and was making his way down to Buck’s room. She let out a soft laugh.</p><p>            “Those boys have got it bad for each other and they don’t even know it,” Carla laughed and shook her head fondly.</p><p>            “They do.” Maddie’s honestly relieved to know that someone loves Buck that much. The way Eddie looks at him- like Buck is the whole world and hangs the stars at night- and the way that affection rolls off of him in waves whenever the two of them are together. What more could an older sister want for her baby brother? She swallowed thickly at the thought and swiped at her eyes before finishing up walking Carla out of the hospital. And if she went around the corner to get some coffee so that Eddie and her brother could have a little more time alone together, then no one needed to know about it.</p><p>…..</p><p>            Eddie was as quiet as he could be as he made his way into Buck’s hospital room. He was used to having to make his way into hospital rooms without wanting to wake up the person in them. It was just typically Christopher in the bed surrounded by monitors and scaring the shit out of Eddie.</p><p>            He froze once he caught sight of Buck, his stomach turning. If he’d had anything in it, he was sure he’d have thrown up. Buck looked so small and vulnerable even in the narrow hospital bed with his leg propped up in the air, wrapped in the most sterile white cast Eddie could ever remember seeing. He hates seeing Buck like this. Because it wasn’t Buck. Buck was all bouncing energy that just never quit, he was wide smiles that brightened up the whole world. Buck filled up the whole room with just himself and his huge, loud- bordering on unintentionally obnoxious- laughter.</p><p>            Buck’s completely still and his eyes are closed. He’s asleep, or at least resting, so Eddie just slowly and silently makes his way over to the chair by the bed and lowers himself into it. For a while, Eddie just watches the readouts on the monitors and looks at the soft rise and fall of Buck’s chest, but it’s still eerie to watch Buck be still.</p><p>            <em>Buck was completely still on the gurney in the ambulance. Still enough that Eddie was afraid he wasn’t breathing and kept a hand on the other’s chest to make sure that it was indeed rising and falling. Bile rose in the back of Eddie’s throat but he just swallowed it down as he tried to help Hen clean the blood from Buck’s face.</em></p><p>            Eddie’s breathing shuddered in his chest and he covered his mouth to muffle it. He closes his eyes to try and center himself, give him a moment to calm down. He doesn’t even realize that he falls asleep until he’s blinking awake.</p><p>            At first, he’s not sure what woke him. Until he hears the soft shuffling of blankets being moved. Eddie tried to blink the blurriness from his vision and lifts a hand to rub his eyes.</p><p>            “Eddie?”</p><p>            Eddie jerks a little and his heart nearly stops at the sound of Buck’s voice, quiet but clear. He drops his hand into his lap and forces a smile onto his face. “Hey, brother. How you feelin’?”</p><p>            “They’ve got me on the good stuff, so I don’t feel anything much.” Buck’s grin is like a balm for Eddie’s soul despite the slight haziness behind his eyes. But if it’s true about the pain meds, Eddie can’t expect Buck to be completely clear-headed.</p><p>            “Well, other than Bobby, you’re the big star so they better be treating you right,” Eddie teased and maybe it was to have a semblance of normal between him and Buck, and maybe it was to keep himself from crying with relief.</p><p>            “Is Chris here?” Buck asked and looked around a little as if Christopher was hiding. As if Chris would ever hide from his Buck.</p><p>            “No.” Eddie pushed his hair away from his eyes. “He’s with Abuela and Pepa. But I know he’s gonna be eager to see you and give that cast of yours an upgrade.” Eddie nods to where Buck’s leg is propped up and wrapped in white plaster and fiberglass up to the thigh. “I’m sure he can show you the tips of the trade for the crutches. Get you up and going in no time.”</p><p>            There’s something dark behind Buck’s eyes despite the levity in his tone as he speaks. “I’ll reserve the whole thing just for him.”</p><p>            They talk for a little while about nothing really. Eddie’s just trying to keep Buck from getting lost inside his own head and maybe he’s trying to rewrite the memories of Buck being pinned with Buck right now- alive and talking and <em>right there</em>.</p><p>            “You look like shit, Eds,” Buck cuts in after a moment. “You been home yet?” He’s looking at Eddie’s clothes and Eddie knows that they’re still stained with dust and blood and are wrinkled from spending the night in a chair.</p><p>            “Not yet. Needed to make sure you were okay first,” Eddie said softly and maybe it was too soft, too honest. But the tension which had been in Buck’s shoulders for the past little while loosens before completely melting away.</p><p>            “You should go home, Eddie. To Christopher. To get some sleep. I’m good. I’ve got the hospital, Maddie, and Carla looking after me.”</p><p>            “Yeah but…” It’s childish and selfish, Eddie knows. His throat feels tight as he forces himself to swallow. “You could have died, Buck. Almost did. And I’m not sure- with everything that’s happened with Shannon and you’re my <em>best friend</em> and Chris loves you so much- I’m not so sure I could deal with anything happening to you. Especially if I wasn’t here.” Eddie flexes his hands in his lap, and he can’t quite look Buck in the eye. He jerked his head up when he hears Buck let out a harsh breath and then suck it back in with a sniffle.</p><p>            Buck’s head was tipped back against the pillows and there were tears just pouring out of the corners of his eyes.</p><p>            “Hey,” Eddie said and he was up and out of his chair before he realized what he was doing. His hands rested against Buck’s shoulder and his chest in the same comforting way he did sometimes with Christopher. “Buck, are you hurting? What’s wrong?”</p><p>            “Nothing, I just-” Buck choked out and he swiped his hand over his eyes. “I was so scared, Eddie. I still am. The doctors say that everything’s gone well but…” Buck bit his lip. Eddie felt his stomach drop down into his feet at the nervous expression on Buck’s usually confident face. “I may not be able to come back to work. Ever. And what am I going to do then?”</p><p>            “It doesn’t matter, Buck,” Eddie said firmly and he smoothed his thumb over the papery material of the hospital gown. “Because no matter what, the 118- Bobby, Chim, Hen, everyone else, <em>me</em>- we’re gonna be there for you. You don’t have to be a firefighter for us to love you. You’re family, Evan,” Eddie said and used Buck’s first name to grab his attention and hold it. “Family doesn’t give up on family. Period.”</p><p>            Buck let out a stifled sob and Eddie just leans down to wrap his arms around Buck and hold him. He pet Buck’s hair soothingly and just murmured to him softly. “<em>Todo va a estar bien. Te amamos. Está bien</em>.” He doesn’t know why he does it- okay he <em>does</em> but he’s not quite willing to admit it to himself yet- but he pressed a kiss to the top of Buck’s head as Buck’s outright sobs turned into soft hiccups and coughs.</p><p>            Buck pulled away and Eddie let him as Buck wiped his eyes. “Go home, Eddie. I’m probably just going to be sleeping most of the time anyway.” Almost as if to punctuate his point, Buck let out a jaw-cracking yawn.</p><p>            Eddie chewed his lip and debated for a long time. “Alright…” he said hesitantly. “But just so I can drop Chris off at school, grab a quick nap, and then pick him up. Because we both know that the second he’s free from school he’s going to beg me to come and see you. And who can say no to that face?”</p><p>            Both of them grin and Buck nodded at him. “By then I’m sure I’ll be climbing the walls and driving Maddie crazy, so I’d like that.” Eddie shoves his hands deep in his pockets to keep from reaching out for Buck again.</p><p>            “Alright, but if you need anything, or just <em>want</em> anything-”</p><p>            “I’ll call,” Buck assured him and gave Eddie a soft smile. “Go on and get some sleep before you bite it.” Eddie nodded and rubbed at his eyes before waving at Buck and shuffling out of the room, passing Maddie with a quiet smile before he finally left the hospital.</p><p>…..</p><p>            Maddie handed Buck a cup of water and she settled in the chair to sip at her coffee. She watched her brother for a while before finally broaching the subject. “So you and Eddie…?” Buck tensed and shot her a look.</p><p>            “I have a girlfriend, remember?” Buck said and he stared at his lap. “And Eddie just lost his wife.”</p><p>            Maddie hummed but she didn’t let the subject drop. “You know he didn’t move an inch from that waiting room all night and all this morning?”</p><p>            “Yeah,” Buck said softly and he quirked a small smile.</p><p>            “He really cares about you, Buck,” Maddie said and reached out to touch Buck’s uninjured knee.</p><p>            “I know,” Buck said thickly and shrugged. “But it’s not… like that.” Buck shrugged and shifted, wincing at the stretch, as he set his water aside.</p><p>            She chewed her lip and fiddled with the lid of her coffee cup before she spoke up again. “Do you want it to be?” She asked softly and Buck scrubbed a hand over his face.</p><p>            “I- I don’t know, Mads. I mean, I like Ali. Of course I do. But I don’t… I’m not good at this.” Buck huffed, obviously frustrated at not being able to voice what he wanted to say properly. But Maddie had a good feeling that she knew what he meant. “And he’s got a kid.”</p><p>            “A kid that you love and who adores you,” Maddie pointed out as she settled her coffee to the side.</p><p>            Buck shrugged and Maddie could see the cracks in the carefully crafted façade that Buck had built up around himself. He walked around with a smug sort of swagger, but that wasn’t who he was. He was sensitive and maybe just a little too hard on himself to the point of being unfair. She stood and smoothed her hand over his shoulder. “Get some sleep, Buck. You can worry about all of that later.” She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, mindful of the cut there. Buck nodded and he let himself relax, his eyes slipping shut with obvious fatigue. Maddie gently moved his hair away from his eyes and then settled in to watch over him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This episode inspires so many feelings in me and I just rewatched it with my younger brother last night. All we could talk about was a.) Buck's running list of TRAUMAS and b.) how Eddie looked when Buck was still pinned. As always, I don't speak Spanish so everything is through translate so sorry if it's not correct.<br/>-James</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>